Fundamental  Qualifications 

of  the 

Foreign  Missionary 


By 

W.  Douglas  Mackenzie,  D.D. 


Being  Report  presented  by  President  Mac¬ 
kenzie  at  the  Second  Annual  Meeting  of  the 
Board  of  Missionary  Preparation,  held  in  New 
York  City,  December  6,  1912,  and  issued  in 
pamphlet  form  by  authority  of  the  Board 


New  York:  25  Madison  Avenue 
Student  Volunteer  Movement 
For  Foreign  Missions 


Copyright,  1913.  by 
Board  of  Missionary  Preparation 


FUNDAMENTAL  QUALIFICATIONS 
of  the  FOREIGN  MISSIONARY 

By  President  W.  Douglas  Mackenzie,  D.D. 

During  the  last  few  years  the  foreign  missionary 
enterprise  has  undergone  rapid  and  sweeping  changes. 
The  awakening  of  the  East,  the  spread  of  western 
education,  commerce  and  industrial  methods  through 
Asia  and  Africa,  the  union  of  all  nations  and  tribes  in 
a  vast  international  system  of  political,  social  and  intel¬ 
lectual  life,  are  facts  which  create  entirely  new  condi¬ 
tions  for  the  foreign  missionary.  The  very  growth  of 
the  native  church  in  missionary  lands  has  also  changed 
the  function  of  the  missionary,  or,  at  least,  has  called 
into  existence  a  new  type  of  missionary  responsibility 
and  labor.  Moreover,  the  missionary  Boards  and  So¬ 
cieties  have  come  into  new  relations  with  one  another, 
and  in  every  direction  are  seeking,  not  merely  to 
co-operate  with  one  another,  but,  as  it  were,  to  stand¬ 
ardize  their  work.  Yet  again,  the  agencies  for  the 
preparation  of  the  missionary  have  been  multiplied, 
and  will  soon  be  greater  than  our  fathers  ever  dreamed 
of  as  either  necessary  or  possible. 

In  view  of  all  these  facts,  it  is  evident  that  the  hour 
has  come  for  a  careful  reconsideration  of  the  qualifica¬ 
tions  of  the  missionarv,  in  which  all  the  Boards  should 

3 


unite  for  mutual  stimulus  and  guidance.  Without 
reviewing  the  past,  we  may  from  the  present  and 
future  be  able  to  discover  what  manner  of  person,  in 
our  new  world,  the  missionary  ought  to  be.  There  are 
four  main  divisions  under  which  we  must  consider  the 
fundamental  qualifications  of  the  missionary — namely, 
Physical,  Educational,  Religious,  Moral  and  Social. 

I. — Physical  Qualifications. 

From  the  beginning  it  has  been  recognized  that  no 
one  should  be  sent  out  as  a  missionary  who  is  not 
certified  by  a  competent  medical  examiner  to  be  of 
good  health  and  sound  constitution.  The  foolishness  of 
sending  out  the  unfit,  not  to  speak  of  the  cruelty,  has 
been  always  obvious  to  all.  But  experience  has  proven 
that  two  principles  need  to  be  specially  emphasized : 

(1)  In  the  first  place,  different  climates  and  differ¬ 
ent  kinds  of  work  suit  different  constitutions.  A 
person  who  is  not  likely  to  live  long  in  one  country 
may  be  actually  benefited  by  being  sent  elsewhere. 
Even  within  the  same  country  climates  differ  so  much 
that  a  life  which  probably  would  be  cut  short  in  one 
part  may  be  invigorated  and  prolonged  in  another. 
This  principle  of  close  discrimination  can  be  and  is 
now  being  carried  even  further,  for  missionary  labor 
is  now  of  so  many  forms  that  a  person  who  would  be 
physically  in  danger  under  one  form  may  be  in  no 
special  danger  under  another  kind  of  work  in  the  same 
region.  A  man,  for  instance,  whose  heart  conditions 
would  make  it  inadvisable  to  engage  in  much  public 

4 


speaking  may  live  to  a  good  old  age  in  most  valuable 
service  of  another  kind. 

These  facts  demand  that  something  more  than  a 
technical  statement,  however  full  it  may  be,  as  to  a 
candidate’s  physical  condition  should  be  sought.  His 
condition  should  be  studied  in  relation  to  various  kinds 
of  climates,  and  even  in  relation  to  various  kinds  of 
work — as  is  already  done  by  many  of  the  Boards. 

(2)  In  the  second  place,  it  is  a  fundamental  qualifi¬ 
cation  for  foreign  service  that  each  missionary  be  well 
grounded  in  the  general  rules  of  health  and  in  the 
special  application  of  them  to  the  region  of  his  future 
labors.  This  instruction  should  give  much  more  than 
a  superficial  knowledge  of  a  few  rules,  and  should  in¬ 
clude  the  knowledge  of  some  anatomy  and  physiology. 

Nor  should  the  Boards  feel  that  their  responsibilities 
end  there.  They  should  watch  over  the  health  of  their 
missionaries.  Especially  is  this  the  case  when  men  are 
allowed  to  go  home  on  sick  leave.  Men  on  sick  leave 
should  be  treated  as  if  on  special  service.  It  is  when 
a  man’s  vitality  is  depleted  that  he  is  least  able  to  take 
care  of  himself  and  has  least  energy  or  inclination  to 
use  the  right  means  for  recovery.  Supervised  rest  is 
what  he  needs.  Examples  could  be  given  of  valuable 
lives  which  have  been  crippled  and  shortened  bv 
neglect  of  this  obvious  rule  of  prudent  administration. 

It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  in  recent  times  a  new 
conception  of  bodily  fitness  or  health  has  grown  up. 
It  has  become  clear  that,  in  a  true  moral  order, 
physical  health  has  a  place  of  vital  importance.  The 
promotion  of  this  health  requires  obedience  to  the  laws 

5 


of  life,  self-control  in  the  matter  of  bodily  pleasure, 
and  systematic  exercise  for  the  purpose  of  maintaining 
all  the  powers  of  our  human  nature  at  their  best. 
This  noble  conception  corrects  and  yet  completes  the 
older  notions  of  an  ascetic  life.  It  has,  no  doubt,  its 
dangers,  like  all  good  things  on  earth ;  but  it  has  within 
it  great  blessing  for  the  whole  race,  and  is  most  Chris¬ 
tian  in  its  true  and  inner  meaning.  To  live  for  the 
body  is  not  Christian.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  to 
neglect  or  despise  or  misuse  the  body,  even  in  the  name 
of  religion,  is  not  a  religious  or  a  Christian  attitude. 

This,  too,  is  a  part  of  that  general  view  of  human 
nature  and  human  responsibility  which  has  grown  up, 
or  at  least,  assumed  a  new  meaning,  in  the  midst  of 
our  Christian  civilization.  It  is  part  of  that  general 
and  rich  view  of  life  which  the  missionary  must  take 
to  non-Christian  lands.  Not  only  the  men,  but  espe¬ 
cially  the  women  of  some  of  these  regions,  need  to  be 
led  and  inspired  by  those  who  know  these  things  and 
who  have  learned  in  school  and  college  to  practice 
them,  as  part  of  their  service  of  Christ  and  as  a  condi¬ 
tion  of  true  and  full  communion  with  God  through  the 
laws  of  nature  which  He  has  ordained. 

II. — Educational  Qualifications. 

A  great  change  has  recently  come  over  the  minds  of 
those  who  are  at  work  in  the  missionary  cause  in 
respect  to  the  intellectual  equipment  of  the  missionary. 
It  has  long  been  assumed  that  both  the  general  and  the 
professional  training  of  missionaries  should  be  of  a 

6 


high  quality.  Thus  most  Boards  are  unwilling  to  send 
out  men  who  do  not  have  at  least  one  degree  in  arts, 
medicine,  science  or  theology.  The  value  of  sound 
culture  and  the  vital  necessity  of  professional  efficiency 
among  missionaries  are  universally  recognized,  and 
they  do  not  need  to  be  argued  here.  But  the  change 
which  we  must  describe  has  arisen  in  relation  to  certain 
matters  that  lie  outside  the  scope  of  an  ordinary 
degree,  or  of  direct  training  for  a  recognized  “pro¬ 
fession."  They  concern  what  has  come  to  be  called 
“Special  Missionary  Preparation."  Specifically,  this 
subject  contains  three  elements — Knowledge  of  Chris¬ 
tianity,  Knowledge  of  the  Field,  and  Mastery  of  the 
Instruments  of  Work.  There  are  certain  facts  under 
each  of  these  heads  which  must  be  firmly  grasped  if 
we  would  know  clearly  what  are  the  fundamental 
qualifications  for  missionary  service. 

1.  Knowledge  of  Christianity.  The  principle  is  too 
obvious  to  need  defense,  or  even  exposition,  that  the 
missionary  must  know  Christianity,  if  his  work  is  to 
have  any  significance  at  all.  The  principle  has  been 
very  fully  recognized  as  to  the  work  of  the  ordained 
missionary. 

All  important  Boards  have  made  it  a  rule  that  the 
missionary  should  have  the  same  training  as  his 
brother  minister  at  home.  And  it  is  interesting  to 
remember  that,  according  to  the  Report  of  Commis¬ 
sion  V  to  the  Edinburgh  Conference,  the  missionaries 
themselves  were  found  to  attach  very  great  importance 
to  this  ideal.  With  the  rise  of  educational  standards 

7 


on  all  missionary  fields,  it  is  vital  that  the  native 
Christians  and  their  pastors  should  not  gain  the 
impression  that  a  poorer  or  less  complete  training  is 
given  to  those  candidates  for  ordination  who  are  going 
out  to  teach  and  to  lead  them.  Rather  is  the  pressure 
at  present  in  the  opposite  direction.  The  missionary 
theological  student  must  have  what  is  deemed  essential 
for  the  home  minister,  and  more .  What  that  more  is 
will  depend  largely  upon  the  enthusiasm  of  the  young 
man,  the  wisdom  of  his  Board,  and  the  opportunities 
within  his  reach. 

But  the  same  principle,  that  the  missionary  must 
know  Christianity,  applies  to  all  other  classes  besides 
the  ordained  man.  It  is  curious  and  pathetic  to  realize 
how  often  this  has  been  ignored.  It  is  a  fact  that  large 
numbers  of  men  and  the  majority  of  women  have  been 
sent  to  teach  Christianity  without  having  made  a 
special  study  of  it,  under  competent  guidance,  for 
themselves.  No  doubt  they  have  been  examined  as  to 
their  faithful  acceptance  of  their  Church  creeds,  and 
also  as  to  their  diligent  private  reading  of  the  Bible 
and  general  knowledge  of  its  contents,  for  the  purposes 
of  devotion.  But  far  too  many  have  been  sent  forth 
with  little  more,  literally,  than  that.  To-day  a  great 
change  has  come,  and  it  is  universally  admitted  that 
no  one  should  go  out,  even  as  a  lay  missionary,  who 
has  not  had  sound  and  real  instruction  in  the  Bible 
and  in  the  exposition  and  defense  of  Christian  truth. 
The  need  of  this  is  too  obvious,  the  danger  of  the 
opposite  course  is  nowadays  too  great,  to  make  any 
argument  on  this  topic  necessary,  or  even  courteous, 

8 


to  the  intelligence  of  those  who  are  likely  to  read  these 
paragraphs.  It  is  not  likely  to  be  denied  today  that  all 
classes  of  unordained  missionaries,  physicians,  educa¬ 
tors,  nurses,  artisans,  evangelists,  etc.,  must  be  not 
only  advised,  but  assisted,  and  by  the  conditions  of 
appointment  compelled  to  obtain  this  part  of  their 
training  or  prove  that  they  have  acquired  it  already. 

It  is,  however,  important  to  state  four  of  the  ways 
in  which  inadequate  knowledge  of  Christianity  hinders 
missionary  efficiency.  The  first  is  the  discovery  of 
personal  incompetence  to  meet  certain  situations,  to 
discuss  the  claims  and  authority  of  the  Gospel.  If 
discouragement  meets  a  man  early,  he  becomes  all  too 
soon  content  to  do  his  professional  work  as  a  physician 
or  educator  well,  but  his  religious  work  as  routine  or 
custom  compel  him,  without  freshness  and  power.  The 
second,  which  is  similar  in  efifect,  has  a  deeper  psycho¬ 
logical  root.  When  the  first  enthusiasm  of  youth  has 
passed,  such  a  worker  is  apt  to  take  easier  and  super¬ 
ficial  views  of  his  task.  It  is  when  the  emotional  life 
cools  that  the  trained  intelligence  is  needed.  Deep 
conviction  alone  keeps  deep  devotion  alive  through 
the  stresses  and  perplexities  of  an  arduous  life.  And 
deep  conviction  is  born  of  knowledge  and  meditation, 
begun  in  youth  and  actively  sustained  through  the 
years.  In  the  third  place,  it  is  only  too  true  that  super¬ 
ficial  knowledge  can  make,  even  in  a  missionary  circle, 
for  fanatical  quarrelling  on  minor  points.  And,  lastly, 
superficial  knowledge  of  Christianity  leads  to  super¬ 
ficial  ways  of  presenting  the  Gospel  and  superficial 
tests  of  conversion. 


9 


2.  Knowledge  of  the  Field.  The  biographies  of 
missionaries  show  that  most  of  the  eminent  men  among 
them  felt  the  need  of  preparation  for  their  particular 
field  before  they  arrived  upon  it.  This  preparation 
they  sought  by  means  of  books  and  correspondence. 
Experience  and  the  growth  of  the  work,  as  well  as  the 
readier  means  of  communication,  have  made  the 
preliminary  knowledge  of  the  field  both  more  urgent 
and  more  accessible. 

It  is  now  generally  agreed  that  special  preparation, 
over  and  above  the  general  preparation  in  professional 
training  and  knowledge  of  Christianity,  is  one  of  the 
fundamental  qualifications  of  the  young  missionary. 
No  missionary  should  be  considered  as  equipped  for 
entrance  upon  the  field  without  it.  Some  of  this  work 
can  and  ought  to  be  done  privately.  But  most  of  it 
can  be  best  done  for  the  large  majority  of  candidates 
by  thoroughly  equipped  and  earnest  teachers. 

This  is  not  the  place  to  discuss  in  detail  what  this 
preparation  shall  consist  of,  especially  as  the  matter  is 
fully  discussed  in  Report  V  of  the  Edinburgh  Confer¬ 
ence,  and  not  much  further  knowledge  has  yet  been 
gathered  which  can  throw  light  upon  it.  But  some 
things  are  obvious  and  important  above  others : 

(1)  The  experience  of  a  hundred  years  has  built  up 
what  may  be  called  the  Science  of  Missions.  In  order 
to  know  this  science,  the  young  missionary  should  have 
instruction  in  the  history,  methods  and  principles  of 
missionary  work  and  in  those  facts  which  come  under 
the  general  head  of  Sociology. 

10 


(2)  The  student  should  not  only  have  some  idea  of 
the  general  History  of  Religions,  but  he  ought  to  be 
taught  the  nature,  doctrines,  morals  and  practices  of 
the  special  religion  or  religions  in  that  region  to  which 
he  is  appointed.  All  this  he  will  learn  quicker  and 
better  on  the  field  if  he  has  had  good  preparatory 
teaching  on  the  subject  under  competent  teachers  at 
home.  In  this  paragraph  must  be  included  some 
knowledge  of  the  history,  character  and  customs  of 
the  people  among  whom  he  will  work. 

3.  Mastery  of  the  Instruments.  There  are  two  main 
subjects  which  may  be  named  as  Instruments  which 
every  missionary  must  use,  and  on  his  skill  in  which 
the  value  of  his  work  will  very  largely  depend.  These 
are  the  language  of  his  field  and  the  art  of  education. 

(1)  It  need  not  be  settled  here  whether  and  how  far 
the  study  of  vernaculars  can  be  successfully  begun 
before  the  young  missionary  reaches  the  field.  Only 
careful  experiment  can  settle  that,  and  no  such  experi¬ 
ments  have  yet  been  carried  on  in  the  English-speak¬ 
ing  countries  of  Europe  and  America.  But  one  thing 
of  vast  importance  has  been  definitely  settled  in  the 
minds  of  all  who  know  the  facts.  The  Science  of 
Phonetics  has  been  so  far  worked  out  and  its  applica¬ 
tion  to  the  teaching  of  languages  has  been  so  well 
established  that  it  is  safe  to  say  this:  No  Board  should 
be  content  to  send  out  any  young  man  or  woman  who 
has  not  had  a  good  course  under  a  competent  teacher 
of  Phonetics.  Moreover,  it  is  universally  admitted  that 
certain  difficult  literary  languages  of  the  East  ought 

11 


to  be  studied  by  those  destined  to  use  them,  under 
competent  western  teachers. 

(2)  There  is  no  doubt  that  some  training  should  be 
had  in  Pedagogy  and  Psychology,  given  with  a  special 
view  to  the  uses  of  the  missionary.  Since  practically 
every  missionary  is  going  to  be  a  teacher  of  some  kind, 
the  immense  importance  of  this  is  quite  clear.  The 
power  of  the  educational  work  on  all  missionary  fields 
depends  largely  upon  this  kind  of  preparation. 

III. — Religious  Qualifications. 

It  is  assumed,  of  course,  that  a  personal  faith  in  the 
Gospel  and  a  personal  experience  of  its  power  are 
possessed  by  everyone  who  becomes  a  candidate  for 
the  mission  field.  It  is  ridiculous  to  defend  an  opposite 
principle ;  it  is  tragic  to  trifle  with  this  one.  And  yet 
the  very  assumption  that  no  intelligent  person  will 
offer  himself  as  a  missionary  without  this  qualification 
may  easily  lead  to  disaster.  The  motives  which  impel 
the  young  are  varied  and  often  deeply  confused.  And 
it  is,  alas !  not  unknown  that  a  man  should  be  sent  out 
to  preach  Christ  whose  own  experience  of  His  power 
is  utterly  inadequate  for  so  searching  and  exacting  a 
task.  The  consequences  can  only  be  a  long,  dull  toil, 
without  joy  and  with  the  scantiest  fruitage.  The  very 
charity  and  Christian  optimism,  which  nowadays  open 
the  door  of  the  Church  so  wide  to  the  young  and 
unmatured,  may  misguide  us  in  the  selection  and 
training  of  those  who  are  to  be,  not  followers,  but 
leaders,  not  occasional  workers,  but  trusted  captains 
and  scarred  generals  of  the  great  war. 

12 


For  their  own  sakes,  as  well  as  for  the  work’s  sake, 
a  high  degree  of  Christian  experience  is  necessary 
among  missionaries.  No  doubt  it  is  not  so  easy  now¬ 
adays  to  determine  this  matter  as  it  seemed  to  some  of 
our  forefathers.  Different  denominations  have  differ¬ 
ent  ways  of  describing  and  using  their  tests.  We  have 
also  grown  sensitive  about  what  we  call  intruding  into 
another  man’s  inner  life.  But  the  missionary  is  going 
to  deal  with  the  inner  life  of  many  men  and  women. 
He  believes  that  he  is  called  to  do  this.  iVnd  everyone 
knows  that  he  cannot  do  it  successfully  unless  he  has 
been  himself  well  grounded  and  thoroughly  illumined 
in  Christian  experience. 

May  we  venture  to  name  some  of  the  matters  on 
which  every  candidate  ought  to  be  closely  examined  by 
competent  men  and  women? 

1.  In  the  first  place,  the  candidate  must  be  con¬ 
sciously  possessed  and  dominated  by  a  direct  and 
personal  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  as  his  own  Saviour  and 
Lord.  There  are  many  ways  of  describing  this  faith, 
many  doors  of  entrance  into  its  possession,  and 
varieties  of  emotional  experiences  in  its  exercise. 
Nowadays  no  rigid,  rule-of-thumb  method  can  be  em¬ 
ployed  for  expressing  or  discovering  the  reality  or 
depth  of  this  experience,  in  all  cases  alike.  All  the 
more  need  is  there  for  examination  of  the  candidates 
to  see  that  they  have  the  root  of  the  matter  in  them, 
that  they  have  made  sure  in  their  own  hearts  and 
minds  of  the  supreme  power  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
as  Saviour  and  His  supreme  authority  as  Ruler  of 
their  lives. 


13 


2.  Rising  out  of  this,  and  yet  in  the  Christian  con¬ 
sciousness  one  with  it,  is  the  sense  of  communion  with 
God.  The  missionary  goes  forth  to  preach  Christ,  not 
merely  as  a  wise  and  gifted  Teacher,  superior  as  a 
teacher  to  all  others,  but  as  the  one  in  and  through 
whom  God  the  Father  Himself  enters  the  human 
heart  and  henceforth  keeps  it  unto  eternal  life.  The 
peace  of  God  means  everything  to  an  awakened 
conscience ;  the  love  of  God,  everything  to  a  mind  that 
is  aroused  to  the  terrors  and  perplexities  of  our  human 
life ;  the  indwelling  of  God,  everything  to  one  who  has 
realized  that  to  be  “without  God”  means  “having  no 
hope”  here  or  hereafter.  The  Christian  missionary 
has  no  real  religious  message  if  he  cannot  carry  in  his 
own  heart's  life  the  gladness  and  purity  and  strength 
and  endless  hope  of  an  indwelling  God  to  the  world 
that  does  not  know  Him.  He  must  go  bearing  the 
rich  fruit  of  the  Spirit  in  his  own  soul. 

3.  But  rising  out  of  this  again,  and  necessary  to  this 
communion  with  God,  are  a  man's  habits  of  prayer. 
As  the  missionary  is  to  represent  the  Christian  life  in 
all  its  acts  and  qualities,  he  must  be  a  man  to  whom 
prayer  is  the  breath  of  life.  There  is  no  safeguard  for 
a  man’s  personal  character,  there  is  no  proof  of  his 
sincerity  and  earnestness,  there  is  no  source  of  confi¬ 
dence  in  his  message,  no  secret  of  power  in  its  delivery 
to  be  compared  for  a  moment  with  the  constant  and 
happy  practice  of  regular,  sustained,  varied  and  intense 
prayer.  The  young  person  who  does  not  know  this 
goes  out  unarmed  to  meet  the  fully  armed  enemies  of 
his  faith  and  of  his  inmost  moral  and  spiritual  life. 

14 


4.  And  rising  out  of  this  again  is  the  fact,  familiar 
to  the  whole  evangelical  world,  the  great  discovery 
which  made  the  modern  religious  world  on  its  inner 
and  spiritual  side,  that  the  man  of  prayer  is  a  man 
whose  mind  is  soaked  constantly  in  the  Scriptures. 
For  this  reason  have  all  Protestant  missions  made  the 
translation  of  the  Bible  one  of  the  primary  and  vital 
factors  of  their  work.  No  theory  need  be  here 
attempted  to  account  for  the  fact.  The  fact  is  that 
wherever  the  life  of  faith  in  Christ  and  communion 
with  God  and  habitual  prayer  are  realized,  there  the 
mind  and  heart  are  filled  with  the  meanings  and  the 
words  of  the  Bible.  This  is  the  best  inward  witness 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Hence  the  Bible  is  not  a  mere 
external  accident  of  Christian  experience.  It  belongs 
to  its  very  essence  so  truly  and  deeply  that  men  every¬ 
where  confess  themselves  cold  and  heavy  in  their 
religious  life  if  they  know  not  how  to  hear  God’s  word 
addressed  through  these  pages  of  Holy  Writ  to  their 
own  hearts  and  consciences. 

Every.  Board  will  deal  through  its  Candidate  Com¬ 
mittee  with  its  own  applicants  for  missionary  appoint¬ 
ment  in  these  matters  in  its  own  way.  But  it  does 
seem  that  at  least  these  four  matters  are  of  funda¬ 
mental  importance.  They  must  be  dealt  with  patiently, 
wisely,  charitably,  kindly.  But  they  must  be  also  dealt 
with  firmly,  clearly  and  decisively.  The  young  appli¬ 
cants  will  be  the  first  always  to  appreciate  thorough¬ 
ness  at  this  point.  They  have  no  real  respect  for 
superficiality  here.  They  are  at  times  surprised  and 
shocked  at  shallowness  and  misspent  bungling  when 

15 


that  which  they  know  to  be  the  deepest  question  of  all 
is  passed  over,  by  those  who  examine  and  recommend 
them  lightly  and  easily.  Those  who  have  the  deepest 
experience  welcome  thoroughness  here,  and  those  who 
tend  to  resent  it,  need  it  for  their  own  and  their 
work’s  sake. 

IV. — Personal  Character  and  Temper. 

The  fundamental  qualifications  which  must  be  named 
under  this  general  head  are  best  arranged  in  two 
groups :  first,  the  essentials  of  character ;  second,  the 
essentials  of  temper. 

1.  There  are  three  essentials  of  Christian  character 
which,  while  necessary  for  all,  must  be  fully  developed 
in  the  missionary.  These  are  self-control,  humility 
and  zeal. 

( 1 )  The  self-control  of  which  we  speak  must  be 
exercised  over  the  whole  range  of  natural  impulse  and 
appetite.  It  is  necessary  to  speak  of  this  because, 
again,  it  is  one  of  those  matters  in  which  prevailing 
charity,  which  is  often  unconscious  cowardice  and 
often  issues  in  cruel  and  harsh  experiences,  leads  us 
to  take  for  granted  that  the  strong  and  clear-eyed 
young  man  before  us  is  master  of  his  appetites  and 
shielded  by  Christian  common  sense  against  any  sin 
of  self-indulgence.  In  the  great  majority  of  cases  this 
is  a  true  judgment.  But  there  are  occasional  instances 
to  be  found  where  a  stricter  and  more  faithful  exam¬ 
ination  at  the  crisis  of  decision  would  have  been  as  the 
very  kindness  of  God. 


16 


The  varied  temptations  of  the  flesh  attack  men  who 
go  to  live  for  prolonged  periods  abroad,  from  two 
sources.  First,  the  wrench  from  the  social  pressure 
of  the  home  land  and  the  plunge  into  a  strange  world 
sometimes  shakes  the  whole  nature  of  a  man.  When 
the  standards  of  the  new  world  are  lower  than  those 
of  the  familiar  environment,  there  is  a  definite  drag 
downwards.  In  the  majority  of  cases  this  may  be 
hardly  noticed  by  a  man  of  rugged  moral  strength. 
But  where  the  character  had  not  attained  independ¬ 
ence,  where  it  was  preserved  only  from  without  by 
the  sustaining  power  of  home  and  church  and  social 
circle,  the  removal  of  those  props  may,  and  sometimes 
does,  lead  to  collapse,  even  in  the  earlier  years  of  life 
abroad. 

The  second  strain  comes  when  a  man,  especially  if 
he  is  living  in  certain  climates  and  surroundings  which 
encourage  it,  finds  himself  able  to  regulate  wholly  his 
time  and  habits  and  the  amount  of  daily  work.  When 
the  vigor  and  enthusiasm  of  youth  decrease,  the  stress 
on  the  will  to  maintain  diligence  and  self-denying 
service  becomes  very  powerful.  All  men  in  the  home 
field  who  attain  to  any  position  of  independence,  of 
authority  over  others,  know  this  stress.  But  in  a 
foreign  land,  where  authority  and  independence  inhere 
in  the  very  nature  of  a  man’s  position  and  relations, 
the  stress  is  more  common  and  may  be  much  more 
severe.  There  arises  the  danger  of  self-indulgence,  of 
laxity  in  the  use  of  time,  the  disinclination  to  push  the 
work  hard,  the  shrinking  from  entrance  upon  new 
tasks,  the  tendency  to  do  all  work  as  a  routine  which  is 

17 


a  burden,  and  not  as  an  opportunity  which  inspires 
the  alert  and  eager  soul.  It  is  better  to  describe  this 
matter  in  negative  terms,  and  thus  to  point  out  the 
general  but  constant  danger,  rather  than  to  name 
specific  forms  of  its  manifestation.  For  in  no  two 
cases  mav  these  forms  be  identical,  and  each  heart 
knows  its  own  peculiar  temptation  and  the  path  of 
self-indulgence  which  has  opened  most  easily  and 
attractively  before  it. 

In  this  matter  it  is  the  duty  of  Candidates’  Commit¬ 
tees  not  merely  to  examine  their  candidates  faithfully 
and  carefully,  but  to  instruct  and  warn  and  inform 
them.  For  this,  much  more  is  needed  than  a  single 
interview,  and  much  more  than  an  address  delivered 
to  a  group  of  young  men  and  women  on  the  moral 
dangers  which  lie  before  them. 

(2)  In  addition  to  this  matter  of  self-control,  the 
mastery  of  appetite  and  impulse,  the  other  two  funda¬ 
mental  qualities  of  character — viz.,  humility  and  zeal 
— may  be  named  and  discussed  together.  Though  we 
do  not  often  realize  it,  neither  of  these  qualities  can 
be  effective  without  the  other.  Humility  without  zeal 
may  look  like,  and  often  is,  weakness  rather  than 
strength.  And  zeal  without  humility  may  be,  and  often 
is,  rude,  inconsiderate  and  repulsive.  The  spirit  of 
humility  and  the  spirit  or  earnestness  are  one  in  the 
really  deep-souled  Christian  missionary.  If  a  man 
goes  to  his  task  on  the  foreign  field  without  both  of 
these,  his  labors  are  likely  to  be  resented  or  despised. 
To  win  them  both,  a  man  needs  to  be  well  drilled  in 
the  school  of  Christ  and  His  apostles,  and  familiar 

18 


with  the  heart  and  manner  of  the  great  messengers  of 
the  Gospel  in  all  lands  and  generations. 

(3)  In  connection  with  all  three  of  these  fundamen¬ 
tal  qualities  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  name  the 
demand  for  that  form  of  self-control  and  humility 
which  produces  freedom  from  anger  and  patience  of 
spirit.  Many  missionary  groups  have  suffered  per¬ 
manently  and  their  work  has  been  wofully  hindered 
by  the  habitual  ill-temper  and  easily  aroused  passion 
of  some  one  of  their  members.  In  India,  where  ill- 
temper  is  universally  considered  a  sign  of  ungodliness, 
and  patience  is  regarded  universally  as  a  prime  virtue, 
the  man  who  cannot  control  his  anger  is  a  constant 
disproof  of  Christianity.  Not  all  his  eloquence  and 
diligence  can  counteract  the  effect  of  that  irreligious 
phase  of  his  character.  The  man  of  impatience,  of  hot 
speech,  of  ebullient  passion,  cannot  represent  Christ 
among  the  higher  civilizations  of  the  non-Christian 
world,  and  misrepresents  Him  among  the  lower.  The 
matter  has  been  well  summed  up  by  saying  that  the 
missionary  has  “need  of  radical  conscientiousness,  of 
unusual  initiative  and  of  determination  to  grow.” 

2.  In  addition  to  the  fundamental  elements  of  Chris¬ 
tian  character,  there  are  certain  phases  of  personal  tone 
or  attitude  or  general  temper  which  are  of  essential 
importance  to  the  success  of  the  missionary.  Mr.  W. 
A.  Rice  has  given  one  of  the  best  lists  of  them,  and 
they  may  be  named  here  as  he  gives  them :  “Earnest¬ 
ness,  Clearness  and  Definiteness  (in  thought  and 
statement),  Tact  and  Conciliation,  Courtesy,  Gentle¬ 
ness  and  Patience,  a  Holy  Walk  and  Conversation, 

19 


Spiritual  Equipment.”  In  the  Report  of  Commission 
V  to  the  Edinburgh  Conference  the  following  list  is 
given:  (1)  The  spiritual  or  essentially  Christian  part 
— namely,  love  of  God,  faith  in  Him,  hope  in  Him ; 
(2)  elements  of  moral  character;  docility,  “the  pecul¬ 
iar  grace  that  belongs  to  a  teachable  spirit” ;  gentle¬ 
ness,  “the  root  of  adaptability” ;  the  spirit  of  courtesy ; 
sympathy,  the  true  “secret  of  personal  influence,  the 
power  that  wins”;  (3)  leadership;  the  power  which  is 
developed  out  of  the  preceding  moral  qualities  by  a 
vigorous  will. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  dwell  on  these  in  detail.  The 
object  in  naming  them  here  is  that  those  who  have  the 
care  of  the  young  candidates  for  missionary  work  may 
realize  how  real  is  the  value  of  close  acquaintance  with 
the  personal  tone  and  temper  of  the  young  applicants 
for  service,  and  how  vital  it  is  to  get  them  acquainted 
with  the  moral  and  spiritual  aspects  of  those  qualities 
which  are  essential  to  success. 

The  evidence  of  missionaries  is  abundant  from  all 
quarters  of  the  field  that  very  soon  the  moral  and 
spiritual  ideal  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ  is  apprehended 
well  enough  by  the  non-Christian  mind  to  be  used  as 
a  standard  for  judging  the  missionary  himself.  His 
zeal,  his  sincerity,  his  purity,  his  patience,  his  unsel¬ 
fishness,  his  spirit  of  sacrifice,  his  evident  walk  with 
God,  are  looked  at  in  the  light  of  what  he  is  himself 
teaching  concerning  Christ.  What  they  take  for 
granted  in  their  own  religious  men  is  instinctively  felt 
to  be  incongruous  and  shameful  in  him.  Where  he  is 
self-indulgent,  or  passionate  in  temper,  or  lazy,  or 

20 


unfaithful  to  his  word  of  promise,  he  stands  con¬ 
demned,  and  the  Master,  whose  holy  power  he  pro¬ 
claims,  is  instinctively  despised.  When  he  is  seen  and 
known  to  walk  with  God,  to  be  in  dead  earnest  to  win 
men  to  faith  in  Christ,  to  be  unsparing  of  self  in 
seeking  and  furthering  their  personal  and  social  wel¬ 
fare,  to  be  in  his  own  character  master  of  his  appetites, 
his  temper  and  his  habits,  he  shines  forth  as  a  con¬ 
vincing,  attractive,  compelling  representative  and 
herald  of  his  Master,  the  Saviour  and  Lord  of  all  men. 

Conclusion. 

In  view  of  all  that  has  been  said  thus  briefly  and  by 
way  of  humble  and  sympathetic  suggestion,  rather 
than  of  instruction  or  dictation,  a  word  or  two  may 
be  added  about  the  conditions  under  which  these 
qualifications  may  be  investigated  and  inculcated. 

1.  There  should  be  a  prolonged  period  of  personal 
acquaintance  with  each  candidate  on  the  part  of  those 
responsible  for  his  appointment. 

2.  Where  he  has  been  already  at  work  on  the  home 
field,  full  knowledge  should  be  obtained  of  all  the 
features  of  his  work  and  of  his  past  history. 

3.  No  trouble  should  be  spared  to  obtain,  by  per¬ 
sonal  interviews,  as  well  as  by  schedules  of  printed 
questions,  a  full  knowledge  of  the  candidates*  reputa¬ 
tion,  work,  character  and  influence. 

4.  Repeated  and  prolonged  personal  interviews  with 
the  candidate  should  be  had  by  persons  specifically 
skilled  in  this  work  of  dealing  with  personal  experience 
and  character. 


21 


5.  Very  full  and  patient  instruction  should  be  given 
to  each  candidate  in  all  the  matters  discussed  in  this 
pamphlet  and  in  whatever  of  real  moment  may  have 
been  omitted.  Some  of  this  instruction  should  be 
given  to  groups  or  classes.  But  no  one  should  be  sent 
out  to  the  field  who  has  not  had  the  central  matters 
laid  before  him  fully  and  kindly  and  firmly  and  sym¬ 
pathetically  in  repeated  private  interviews. 

If  these  rules  are  observed,  not  only  will  some  sad 
cases  of  possible  failure  be  prevented,  but  everyone 
who  is  accepted  and  appointed  will  go  out  fully  fore¬ 
warned  and  forearmed,  quick  to  see  the  dangers  to  self 
and  to  effective  service,  and  wise  to  preserve  character 
unstained  and  the  Divine  fellowship  unimpaired. 


22 


